


Goku's Promise

by kelsey738



Category: Dragonball Z
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Family, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 19:11:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9086050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kelsey738/pseuds/kelsey738
Summary: It is a year after Goku went to train with Uub, and Pan is eagerly waiting for his return, just like he promised her at the tournament. When he doesn't show up for her birthday, 5 year old Pan is convinced he doesn't love her anymore. She runs away, thinking that he loves training more than her, and she would rather go somewhere else and avoid dealing with her feelings. Goku shows up right after she leaves. Will they find her in time, or will the dangers of the world doom poor, heartbroken Pan?





	

It's been exactly one year since Goku left at the tournament and Pan had been very patient. Goku wasn't around for Birthdays, Christmas, and New Year’s. Pan was tuning 5 soon, and kept thinking about what Goku said that day at the tournament. 

\--------------Mini Flashback -----------

"Don't worry Pan, I promise that I will visit" Goku said hugging Pan as she cried. 

Pan wiped her tears and started to cheer up. Goku flew up to talk to his family and friends. They didn’t want him to go, but respected his wishes. As he left, Pan shouted, "Bye Grandpa! Don't forget your promise!" Pan had a lot of power that day, but she still felt bad about her grandpa leaving. 

\-------End Flashback ------------

Pan was watching the sky everyday and waiting for her grandpa to keep his promise, but she never saw him.

 "Pan, it’s time for dinner!" Gohan said as he went upstairs to her room.

As he entered her room, he noticed that she was looking out the same window that she looked out of everyday since the tournament.  

"Pan, are you ok?" Gohan said with a little worry.  

"Yah, I just wish that grandpa would hurry up and finish up doing what he is doing so he can be with us!" Pan started to look angrier.  "He always does what he wants and it hurts me daddy! I love him so much and I feel like I will never see him again!" She started to cry.

 "Pan, don't cry!" Gohan came to her and comforted her.  "Grandpa won't be gone forever. I thought the same thing when he left us for 7 years, but he came back and he will this time too." He gentry rubbed her back. She didn’t look happy, but at least she stopped crying. "Come on Pan, let’s go eat dinner before it gets cold.” 

 -----------------------Later that evening ------------------------

"Videl, I feel that my dad has had too much of an impact on Pan" Gohan said as his wife came down from putting Pan to bed.  

"What do you mean?" She said, “Pan adores him.” 

“That’s what I mean. Pan has been staring out of her window every day since the tournament last year, and her hopes get crushed every day he isn’t here." 

"What should we do? It’s not like we know where to find him,” She said with a bit of disappointment.  

"Since tomorrow is her birthday, I think we should throw her a surprise birthday party, just to get her mind off of him for a day."

“That's a great idea! We haven't all been together for a while anyways, and I'm sure that she will love it." Videl said as she went to call everyone.

\---------------------The Next Morning-------------------------

 "Mama!" "Papa!" Pan said as she went downstairs, and to her surprise, everyone was down there, even Master Roshi. "SURPRISE" Everyone yelled. She was excited and happy that everyone came to wish her a happy birthday. 

Later when the party was dying down, she was blowing out her candles and made a very special wish: ”I wish that Grandpa Goku would come back and visit me so I can see him and we can be a family like we used to be. “

She blew out the 5 candles and quickly rushed outside to wait, hoping that her wish had come true. But, slowly, everyone started to leave for the day, and she knew: her wish had not come true. 

\----------------------That Night---------  
Pan was in her room, broken hearted; her own grandpa didn't even come to her birthday party. Her heart ached and she couldn't keep the pain inside anymore. 

"If Grandpa doesn't love me enough to come to my birthday, then there's no point in staying around here." She said in furry. Pan opened the window that she looked out of everyday, and left, leaving only a note for her parents. 

The next morning, Gohan was about to go teach his class until he realized that Pan wasn't up yet. He started to go to her room when he heard a scream. "GOHAN!!" He immediately ran up to where the room was, somewhat surprised that it was Pan's. Videl was crying on the bed and Pan was nowhere to be seen. 

"WHAT'S WRONG!!!!?" Gohan said, practically screaming as he rushed to her side.

"It's Pan!!! She ran away!" Videl said as she put her head on Gohan's chest, still crying. 

"What! How do you know?" he jumped from the bed and looked at her with confusion and worry.

"She left a note" Videl sobbed and gave him the note. 

It read: 

Dear Mom and Dad, 

I decided to go away and not come back. If grandpa doesn't love me enough to come to my own birthday then there is no point in staying around here. I don’t want to wait until he tells me himself that he doesn’t love me. Maybe you would be happy this way too. You wouldn’t have to worry about me, I won’t get in your way, and you can concentrate on your work. 

IF grandpa ever comes home tell him that I don't care about him either. 

 Pan

 ”Pan thought that she was in the way?” Videl said, shocked.

“We have to find her as soon as possible!” Gohan said as he went out the window, with Videl following behind.

They searched for an hour, but couldn't sense her or see her. They asked the gang to help, but no one could find her.

“Gohan, what are we going to do? Pan is out there, all alone! I just…I don’t know what I will do if anything happens to her.” Videl wrapped her arms around her body and started to sob. 

Gohan flew up to her and hugged her, “We will find her, honey. I promise. She will be fine.” Gohan rubbed her back gently, just like he had done to Pan earlier. He wanted to believe what he was saying, but truth be told: he was panicking too.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone appeared. He floated high in the air next to them with his blue gi on and wild hair; he looked at the couple and said "What's going on?" 

 

Videl and Gohan looked at Goku with shock at first, and then Gohan’s shock turned into anger.

"What's going on? What's going on? Well Dad, because of you, our 5yearold daughter has run away from home and could be anywhere right now, that's what's going on!" Gohan said, practically exploding. 

"What? Are you saying that Pan has run away? Why would she do that?" Goku said, partly confused and partly frantic. Videl took out the note that Pan left from her pocket, and gave it to him. 

Goku had a look of pure heartbreak and horror on his face as he read the letter. 

"Gohan, this is all my fault! I was training Uub and forgot about the time difference! I fully intended to come back on Pan's birthday to surprise her, but I guess I messed up big time. I should stop talking; we need to find her!" Immediately after he spoke, Goku was gone. He looked everywhere, trying to sense her ki, but every time he thought he was getting close, he lost the trail. 

Meanwhile, Gohan, Videl, and the rest of the gang continued to search. A 5yearold that knows how to fly can get pretty far in a short amount of time, and it was starting to get dark. Goku refused to end his search; he felt so bad about everything that even when the sun set and everyone agreed that they would continue the search in the morning, Goku continued to search. It was a good thing too because while everyone was searching for young Pan that day, she was having an interesting day of her own... 

\---------------------------Earlier that same day------------------

Pan was always the adventurous kind of girl and could never stay away from it. As Pan retreated from her home and set off to live in the world without her family, she still couldn't help but shed a tear. She knew she didn't mean ALL of what she said in the letter, but she wanted to show her feelings and knew that her grandpa would see her heartbreak. She wanted get away so that she could avoid the rejection from her grandfather, she really did, but as she flew away, she started to have doubts about it.   
Pan kept thinking about her mom, dad, aunts, uncles, and everyone who took all their time and effort to give her a magnificent party yesterday. She was so busy thinking about going back to them that she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going, and BANG! Pan hit a tree! 

"AAHHHH" Pan screamed as she fell down to the bottom. 

"Oww! I think I hurt myself." Pan checked, and sure enough, her leg had a HUGE gash in it. She tried to walk on it, but it only made it more difficult. Pan was stuck and she knew it.

"I wish that Grandpa would have just come to see me! All this wouldn't have happened if he just loved me enough to visit ONCE in the year! I hate him!" Pan started to cry. She fell asleep and did not wake until morning. 

Unfortunately, when morning came, she was fast asleep and didn't hear the bear that was creeping up behind her! The bear made a noise and startled Pan awake. She limped as far from it as possible, and came very close to a nearby river. She tried to scare it away by throwing sticks at it, but that made the bear even more furious. He then raised himself up and Pan was so overwhelmed by his largeness that she fell backwards right into the river! 

Meanwhile...

"Gohan, I have been searching all night and couldn’t find her anywhere near here. We should consider the possibility that she is somewhere far from here." Goku said, worried that she was hurt and wanted to stop looking in the wrong places. 

"Dad, I know my daughter! She wouldn't go far. She would go somewhere to think, but she would never go so far that we couldn't find her. Something is wrong! Gohan snapped at Goku.

"Why don't you guys stop arguing for a second and start looking for Pan!" Videl shouted, tired of their stupid arguing.  

Suddenly, they all feel something. It was faint, but it definitely felt like Pan. Gohan and Goku flew out as fast as they could to find her, and Videl tried very hard to follow behind.

"Pan! Pan! Please, if you can hear me, respond!" Gohan pleaded as he flew towards the feeling. 

Pan was in a freezing cold river with ice all around it. She had gotten as far as the mountains when she suddenly flew into a tree. I was very cold there, even more so in the water. She was not a strong swimmer, but she could swim. Pan struggled to stay above water but each time, she felt the pain from her leg and the cold sinking her down. She could no longer stay above and her body sunk to the bottom as the current pulled her downstream. She kept trying until she hit something hard and everything went black. 

Meanwhile…

Goku and Gohan followed the ki until suddenly, they couldn't feel it anymore! They didn't know where exactly she was, but they knew that she was somewhere in the mountains. Goku lost his patience and dove down looking for clues. 

"There has GOT to be something down here that will point us in the right area!" Goku searched frantically until he found a backpack.

"This backpack, is it Pan’s? Gohan?” Gohan looked at it and could only nod.

“It was by the river. Do you think she could have fallen in?" Goku didn't even wait for Gohan to respond. He dove in and swam the entire river. He searched and searched until suddenly, he found a little girl. She was wearing torn clothing, had a very badly infected leg, a gash to the head that had hit a huge boulder on the river floor, and a body that looked so frail it could probably snap like a twig. He scooped her up and flew out of the river. 

"Gohan! I found her! She needs help, now!" Goku put her on the forest floor and looked her over. First things first: Breathing. Gohan flew down and immediately could tell she wasn’t breathing. He gave her mouth-to-mouth until finally, she coughed up the water from her lungs. 

"Dad!"She gasped. 

"Pan! Oh my goodness, you had your mom and I SO worried! Please don't EVER do that again!" Gohan hugged his only daughter and didn't want to let go. However, something wasn’t right. Pan could talk, but she didn't seem to be able to move at all. 

Goku suddenly said" Pan, why aren't you moving?" 

Pan looked as though she had not slept in days and her eyes were very droopy. She looked at Goku and then at Gohan and didn't seem to have as much energy anymore. "I feel don't good. I don't feel good... I d..o..t...fee..goo...." Pan just didn't have the energy and she was unconscious in seconds. 

"PAN! PAN, NO! Gohan we NEED to get her to a hospital!"Goku scooped her up and instantly transported her to the nearest one, with Gohan close behind. 

\-------------------One hour later----------------

The hospital was very large, with tons of people in it. In the waiting room there were so many people that they made up a good portion of the hospital itself! In the waiting room were Pan's parents, Her grandfather Goku, her grandmother ChiChi, and all of the gang, including Krillen, Android 18, Vegeta, Bulma, Trunks, Goten and lots more. 

Pan had been admitted not 1 hour ago and they knew very little. Eventually, the doctor came out to update them about her condition. She had to get stitches on her leg and head, she had a concussion, and she had pneumonia from staying in the cold water for so long. 

The doctor told them all that she would be fine, just as long as she takes all the medicine they give her, and gets plenty of rest.

Goku went to her room with Gohan and Videl. He sat at the side of her bed, looking at her with loving eyes. He felt the most guilt after what happened; it was entirely his fault. If he hadn't been so stupid and forget about the time difference, he would have made it to her birthday. She wouldn’t have run away thinking that he didn’t love her, and therefore she wouldn’t be hurt now. He loved her so much and wished he could have told her that before she left. 

Pan started to stir in her bed and Goku lifted his head up, hoping she would wake. 

"Grandpa? Is that you?" She asked weakly. 

"Pan! Yes it’s me. You have NO idea how happy I am to see you!” He said, gently hugging her and giving her a kiss on her forehead, careful to avoid the stitches.  
"What are you doing here? You didn't come to visit like you promised. You just want to train and stay with Uub. Why don’t you love me, grandpa?” Pan vented and cried. She loved her grandpa and wished he felt the same. 

"Pan, I DO LOVE YOU! You need to understand that. I love you some much I was willing to dive into freezing cold water to save you! I would die for you if it meant that you were safe.” He carefully explained, hoping that she understood.

“I missed your birthday not out of hatred for you, but out of stupidity. See, I forgot that there is a time difference in the world. I thought that I was right on time when I appeared at your house, but you were already gone. I looked everywhere for you and when I found you, you were almost dead! Please, don’t you ever do something like that ever again! I love you too much to see you die…” Goku said, heartbroken that he had to see his only grandchild so badly hurt, and so willing to risk her life like that.

"Grandpa I'm sorry! I thought you didn't love me and never would. I just thought you loved training Uub more than you loved me!" Pan sniffled and tried not to let the tears escape from her eyes. For a 5 year old, she was really smart and sophisticated. 

"Pan I could never love someone as much as I love you. Maybe your father and the family come close, but that's it. I love you more than anything. Even more than training!" 

When that was said, everyone in the room laughed. Her and Goku shared a moment of understanding and both knew that something like this would never happen again. His love was eternal and would always continue to be.


End file.
